Bentz talks COVID-19 and infrastructure at Pendleton town hall eastoregonian.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from eastoregonian.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
SALEM â The 2021 irrigation season is shaping up to be a tale of two Oregons.
River basins in the northern part of the state are in comparatively good shape, with snowpack at or above normal from Mount Hood to the Wallowa Mountains, according to the latest outlook from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service.
Southern Oregon, however, is another story.
Exceptionally dry weather has pushed the region deeper into drought, threatening water supplies for both farms and fish. Local irrigation districts, facing all-but-certain shortages, are doing what they can to stretch what little water they have stored in lakes and reservoirs.
NYSSA
The Joint Board of the Owyhee Project tentatively set the water allotment for this yearâs irrigation season at less-than-full allocation, due to the low water storage in Owyhee Reservoir. However, the board will revisit the issue at a future meeting.
After some deliberation, the board voted to tentatively set the allotment at 3 feet per acre, a full foot below the normal allotment of 4 feet per acre. There was concern among board members that useable storage in the reservoir Tuesday was at 53%, with more than 500 acre feet needed to guarantee a full irrigation season with full allotment, according to the board.
Storms gave us a boost for water outlook in Owyhee Basin argusobserver.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from argusobserver.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
PENDLETON â One month beyond the winter solstice, Oregonâs mountain ranges are all below normal for annual snowpack averages.
A look at USDA Natural Resource Conservation District Snotel sites that track snowfall and snow water equivalent from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 each year show more detailed reports of regional precipitation and snowpack.
The Umatilla, Walla Walla and Willow river basins are currently measuring 85% of the annual snowpack average, as of Wednesday, Jan. 27.
The Emigrant Springs Snotel on Mount Emily, at an elevation of 3,800 feet, started recording the first measurable precipitation of the water year Nov. 8, 2020. As of Jan. 27, 13.6 total inches have fallen, the snow depth is currently 6 inches and the snow water equivalent is 1.3 inches, 23% of the average.